Cirque du Soleil officially premiered its new arena touring show inspired by James Cameron’s record-breaking movie AVATAR, TORUK – The First Flight, on Monday, December 21 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. The show will be presented there until January 3 and will then continue touring in arenas around the world.

Among the most notable guests at the Red Carpet event were Academy Award-winning Director James Cameron, Academy Award-winning Producer Jon Landau, Cirque du Soleil Founder Guy Laliberte, Cirque du Soleil President Daniel Lamarre, as well as members of the TORUK – The First Flightcreative team including Show Writers, Directors, and Multimedia Directors Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, Director of Creation Neilson Vignola, Set and Props Designer Carl Fillion, Costume and Makeup Designer Kym Barrett, Puppet Designer Patrick Martel, and more.

The show

TORUK – The First Flight is a live immersive multimedia spectacle that brings to the stage the breathtaking world of James Cameron’s AVATAR like you have never seen it before.

Through a riveting fusion of cutting-edge visuals, puppetry and stagecraft buoyed by a soaring cinematic score, Cirque du Soleil applies its unique signature style to James Cameron’s imaginary world and “makes the bond” between two kindred artistic visions that capture the imagination.

This live immersive experience also bears the distinct signature of directors and multimedia innovators Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon. It is a living ode to the Na’vi’s symbiotic coexistence with nature and their belief in the basic interconnectedness of all living things.

Narrated by a “Na’vi Storyteller” and populated by unforgettable characters, TORUK – The First Flight is a mythical tale set thousands of years before the events depicted in the film AVATAR, and before any humans ever set foot on Pandora.

When a natural catastrophe threatens to destroy the sacred Tree of Souls, Ralu and Entu, two Omaticaya boys on the brink of adulthood, fearlessly decide to take matters into their own hands. Upon learning that Toruk can help them save the Tree of Souls, they set out, together with their newfound friend Tsyal, on a quest high up in the Floating Mountains to find the mighty red and orange predator that rules the Pandoran sky. Prophecy is fulfilled when a pure soul rises among the clans to ride Toruk for the first time and save the Na’vi from a terrible fate.